A Christmas Card from John the Baptist

As far as I can tell, not many Christmas cards feature the original Scrooge, John the Baptist. John could be one heck of a hellfire and brimstone preacher at times, after all. This was a card dying to be made, so here is my attempt.

The idea is fantastic…..picturing John the Baptist as a woodstock attendee blew it. Will we Christians ever stop portraying the John, the disciples and even Christ as having long hair? “What doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair it is a SHAME unto him? 1 Cor 11:14 . It is otherwise a great post….the idea is excellent, but its presented on a garbage can lid by violating the very Scriptures it proposes to try to get folks to take to heart!

Samson was a Nazirite, meaning he took a religious vow which he showed visibly by letting his hair grow and abstaining from wine and strong drink. His mother was told it would be a SHAME for him to cut it. The warning turned out to be true when it was cut against his will. He did not regain his strength until his hair grew back.

When Absolom fled, he was caught in the trees by his hair. Biblical archeology gives strong evidence that male royals of that day let their hair grow long as a sign of their power (virility).

Even Paul took a vow and let his hair grow, in order to offer it to God as a burnt offering.

As for Jesus, some scholars suggest that’s how Jesus and his apostles were visibly identifiable as being from Nazareth: they might have taken vows similar to Samson, though Jesus obviously drank wine.

All human hair grows, regardless of gender; that’s the way God made us. Human convention determines whether or not it is fashionable (or in Paul’s case, acceptable to God) for either gender to leave it uncut.

Malcolm, the card’s funny! Enjoy it and try not to get so upset that all the world doesn’t hold to your interpretation of Paul’s writings.

Actually… let me suggest you reconsider your view, in light of scripture…. read the following and you might also consider this simple guideline…..Paul, caught up to the third Heaven and seeing Jesus there, came back and wrote it is a shame for a man to have long hair….. God changes not, nor alters his word right? Well come on? Right? So if there is no contradiction, nor God being the author of confusion…and it IS A SHAME unto a man to have long hair then are we to assume God himself violated the Bible or had His Son do so? If the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible and those are the words of God (that a man is shameful to have long hair (which is given to women) then isnt that clear enough? Consider these comments by Jack Hyles

1. The paintings of Christ are simply artists’ conceptions and have no Scriptural authorization. At least one historian of His day described Him as being a tall man with chestnut-colored hair, parted in the middle, with short hair which turned up at the end. In the book, THE MODERN STUDENT’S LIFE OF CHRIST by Irving Vollmer, published by Fleming H. Revell, the author says, “Archeologists object to the conventional pictures of Christ because they are not true to history.” A German painter, L. Fahrenkrog, says, “Christ certainly never wore a beard, and His hair was beyond a doubt a closely cut. For this we have historical proof.” The oldest representations going back to the first Christian centuries and found chiefly in the catacombs of Rome all pictured Him without a beard. All the pictures of Christ down to the beginning of the first century and even later are of this kind. Students of the first century and of Roman history are aware of the fact that the time of Christ was characterized by short hair for men. This author has seen many coins and statues which bear the likenesses of emperors who reigned during and after the time of Christ. Such likenesses reveal that the Ceasars and other rulers and emperors had short hair, and of course, the subjects followed the example set by the emperor. The plain simple truth is that during the life of Christ, short hair was the acceptable style. That Jesus wore the conventional style of His day is proved by the fact that Judas had to kiss Him to point Him out to the soldiers. Had Jesus been somewhat different, as a long-haired freak, Judas could have simply told the soldiers that Jesus was the One with the long hair. This, of course, is not true, as Judas had to place a kiss on Him in order to identify Him.

V. JESUS WAS NOT A NAZARITE.
Since it is generally believed that a Nazarite has to let his hair grow long, and since Jesus was from Nazareth, there are many who mistakenly identify Him as a Nazarite. There is no such Scriptural evidence. Jesus was a “Nazarene” because He was from Nazareth, but He was not a “Nazarite,” and He did not take the Nazarite vow. A Nazarite could not eat grapes or drink grape juice or eat anything made of the vine.
Numbers 6:2-4 says, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink of no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.”
Hence, our Lord could not have been a Nazarite. Observe the last Passover in Luke 22: 14-18, “And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” The Passover was characterized by the fruit of the vine, and as a Nazarite our Lord would not have been allowed to partake of the Passover.
He also partook of the fruit of the vine when he instituted the Lord’s Supper. Luke 22:19, 20 says, “And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.”
Likewise a Nazarite could not touch a dead body. Numbers 6:6, “All the days, that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no dead body.” When our Lord raised the daughter of Jairus in Mark 5:41, the Bible says, “And He took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.” Then He also touched the bier which contained a dead man’s body in Luke 7:12-15. “Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not, And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.”
Since the Nazarite could not touch the fruit of the vine or touch a dead body, and since our Lord did both, we must arrive at the definite conclusion that He was not a Nazarite.

VI. IF JESUS HAD BEEN A NAZARITE, HE STILL WOULD NOT NECESSARILY HAVE HAD LONG HAIR.
The Nazarite vow was taken for only a short period of time. The Bible says it was just for “days.” In Numbers 6: 5,6, and 13 we read, “All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the lord he shall come at no dead body. and this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
After these “days” were over the Nazarite was to shave his head. Numbers 6:18 says, “And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings.”
So it is obvious that the Nazarite was as likely to be bald-headed as he was to have long hair. Of course, this argument is needless as our Lord was not a Nazarite.

VII. ABSALOM WAS BOTH REBELLIOUS AND LONG-HAIRED.

The only long haired person other than a Nazarite mentioned in the Bible was Absalom, a son of David. It was he who rebelled against his father. It was he who started a revolution. It is worth noting that even in Bible days rebellion, revolution, disobedience to parents, and long hair were associated.
Now what should the Christian’s attitude be concerning male hair styles? First, we men should follow the admonition of the Scripture and have short hair. It should be short enough as to be obviously contradictory to the revolutionary symbol. Many Christians allow their hair to become longer in an effort not to be identified as fundamental believers. Why shouldn’t a Christian be just as proud of his identity with the Word of God as the hippie is to identify himself with the revolution? Men, let us wear our short hair with pride as a symbol of our belief in the Bible and its Christ.
Parents, start your son with haircuts and short hair when he is a baby. With discipline and, if needs be, punishment, see to it that as he grows up he uses his hair as a symbol of patriotism and Christianity, thereby following the admonition of the Scripture that says in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed (fashioned) to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

I’m sorry friends – but a man claiming Bible basis to violate the very word of God is using the Bible as a cover for sin…. are we men going to wear lipstick and earrings too and claim that the children of Israel did it so it’s ok for us?

Friends, we ought be willing to give up sin, whether we agree with God about it or not rather than go hunting a reason to continue therein.

First of all, thanks to all of you for stopping by the blog and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.

Now, getting to the latest comments and discussion, it is obvious that there are differences of opinion when it comes to how Paul’s admonition concerning short hair are to be taken. My own view is that Paul is addressing people within a particular cultural context, namely a those living within the Roman culture, where short hair was the norm. There has been much written, however, on both sides of this issue, as Malcolm shows us.

Having said that, however, let me add that this post is not a forum for the doctrinal issue of hair length. I think we have all made our views clear, and I doubt that we will change each others minds. The underlying issue, which has little to do with hair length, is all about how one interprets and applies scripture to his or her life, and that is something far beyond my attempt here to be humorous. Maybe one day, I will write about this issue, but not today, what with Christmas and all of its attendant busyness pressing down hard upon me.

I had no idea that my response would prove so unsettling to you that a lengthy doctrinal discourse was necessary. As a student of the Bible and a longhair, I disagree with your interpretation of scripture concerning men’s hair length, while at the same time respecting your right to hold a contrary view. For my part, the conversation is ended. Let us part at peace with each other, or at the very least ask that “The LORD watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another” (Genesis 31:49).

Will,

I had no idea that the conversation would become what it did. I apologize for stirring the pot. Your marvelous card lifted my spirits. Thank you for making it. Merry Christmas!

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The Prodigal Son

And Jesus said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.